Grasshopper New Media Presents...

We just got back from a trip for Spring Break with our 13 and 9 year old sons. It was a really great vacation, full of fun and togetherness, and a minimum of conflict, despite being in close quarters for almost ten days straight. This made me think about how trips with kids have changed for us over the years, and what things have worked best, and what hasn’t. With summer just around the corner, I thought it was time to share these “hints”. This week, I’ll talk about what’s worked for us in deciding what to do for vacation, and next week, I’ll talk more about the details of taking your crew on the road.

Planning That Vacation- Whose Going?

When figuring out where to go or what to do on vacation, you need to plan for the players. How old are the kids and adults? How many people are coming?

The age of the kids helps you plan something that is kid-friendly and appropriate. For example, I speak from experience when I say that Las Vegas, despite it’s attempts to make some of it family friendly, is not a great place for younger kids. On the other hand, I also speak from experience when I say that Disney is extremely kid friendly at any age, and deals with even the most difficult kid situations with calm, patience, understanding, and finesse.

The age of adults helps dictate the type of activities for them and the activity level as well. Climbing mountains may not be in the repertoire of all grandparents, for example, nor jet skiing, but they might enjoy other things equally as well.

Making sure there’s something for everyone to do and/or enjoy is the secret of great group travel and vacations.

Where to Stay

The most successful large group vacations we’ve had, (meaning our family of four plus at least three to nine additional relatives of varying ages) have been when we’ve rented a house or condo at some destination for anywhere from a weekend to a week’s time. This format allows everyone to be together for those quiet down times when you can really talk and connect- over coffee at breakfast time as people start to wake slowly, while cooing dinner, or lounging before bedtime. While hotels provide for more privacy, they often don’t have facilities that naturally allow people to just hang and talk in the same way you do at someone’s home. Sure, you might be able to talk over breakfast, but remember that finding seating for 7 to 14 for any one meal is a pain for any restaurant, and it may just be easier to make meals as it would be to go out. Plus, by the time you add up the nightly rates everyone might be paying for a hotel, a house or condo rental can become an economical option.

Will you be traveling by plane, car, train, or any other mode of transport?

Think about how you are traveling and whether you can minimize luggage- the less you have to schlep, the better. If you are renting a house, there might be laundry facilities, and this also means you can pack less, and just count on doing a load or two of laundry- maybe even avoiding the laundry deluge when you get home! While I believe in the “Be prepared for all contingencies” plan most of the time, I always find I pack much more than I actually ever needed.

If you are traveling for any length of time, plan on having the kids pack their own carry-on/in bag. This should be a backpack or other bag where they can pack snacks and their own entertainment- ranging from electronics to books to small toys. (Don’t forget batteries and rechargers!) A quick trip to the dollar store might yield a puzzle book or some other small thing that will keep a child occupied during those boring waits for rental cars, restaurants, airports, and the like.

Distractions for Kids

I’ve also found that having a kid movie on my video iPod can keep kids occupied when waiting to be seated at schmancy restaurants, or doing courses, when they were prone to whining in the past- I would much rather keep them happy so everyone else can enjoy their meal, than deal with unhappy children urging us to leave the restaurant at the earliest possible moment.

[tags]children, groups, houses, iPod, kids, laundry, luggage, movies, occupied, Parenting, parents, plans, renting, restaurants, Vacation[/tags]